Railway-traffic-controlling apparatus.



F. H. NICHOLSON. RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I, 131.4.

1 l 8 1 ,474. Patented May 2,-1916.

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FRANK H. NICHOLSON, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BAILWAY-TRAFIEIC-CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 27, 1914.

To all to ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. NICHOLSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in R-ailwayTrafiic-Controlling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway traflic controlling apparatus of the type in which a trip arm located alongside of the track way is moved by a signal into and out of position for engagement with controlling apparatus carried by flehicles passing along the railway.

My invention provides a novel means for moving the trip arm independently of the signal when circumstances are such thata car or train should pass a signal which is in the stop position.

' I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a view showing one form of signal, trip arm, and operating mechanism for the trip arm embodying my invention, and also showing a portion of a railway vehicle having controlling apparatus thereon adapted to be actuated by the trip arm when the latter is in the operative position.

Referring to the drawing, 1 is a signal pole located alongside the trackway and carrying a casting 25. Journaled in this casting is a shaft 2 on which is mounted a railway signal 2. This signal comprises as usual a spectacle 2 and a semaphore blade 2, and is moved from the horizontal posi tion in which it is shown (usually termed the stop position) upwardly to another position (usually termed the proceed position) by mechanism which is not shown in the drawing. Mounted also on the pole 1 is a trip arm 4- which is operatively connected with the signal 2, and which occupies an operative position (shown in solid lines) when the signal is in the stop position, and an inoperative position (shown in dash lines) when the signal moves upwardly to the proceed position. When in its operative position, the arm 4 is in the path of an arm 16 carried by a car 14:, which arm 16, when it strikes the arm 4, operates a mechanism 17 which causes a suitable signal to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 858,956.

be given or opens the brake pipe 18 to cause an application of the brakes.

The trip arm 4 is operatively connected with the signal 2 in such manner that the arm is positively moved in both directions by the signal, but that the arm may be moved independently of the signal by manual means when desired. In my invention the connection between the signal and the trip arm is arranged to be shortened by the manual operating means, thereby raising the arm to its inoperative position while the signal occupies its stop position. As here shown, the trip arm is attached by bolts 19 to an arm 4k which is mounted to swing on a pin or stud 26 carried in a casting 8 attached tothe pole 1. The connection between the signal and the trip arm comprises two rods 7 and 7 pivotally connected by a pin 8, the upper rod being pivotally attached to the signal spectacle 2 at point 6, and the lower rod being pivotally attached to the arm a at point 20. Normally these rods are in a-linement or nearly so, so that the trip arm is swung up and down by the movements of the signal. It is evident, however, that if the rods are buckled outwardly at their junction point 8 while the signal is in the stop position, the connection between the signal and the trip arm will be shortened so that the trip arm will be raised to its inoperative position. This buckling of rods 7*, 7* may be accomplished by means which I will now explain.

5 is a bell-crank, one arm of which is mounted to swing on the pin or stud 26, and the other arm of which is pivotally connected by a pin 21 with one end of a link 9. The other end of this link 9 is pivotally connected with the pin 8 which joins the two rods 7 and 7 The upper end of a rod 10 is pivotally connected with the crank 5 by a pin 22; this rod extends down the post 1, and near the ground it is bent back in the shape of a U to form an upwardly extending end 10*. This end 10 slides in a socket 11 of a locking device 11, and is provided with a notch 27 adapted to receive a bolt 28 forming part of the locking device 11. The withdrawal of bolt 28 from notch 27 is preferably accomplished by a key inserted in a key-hole 11, so that the rod 10 cannot be unlocked by unauthorized persons. The locking device is attached to the pole 1 by clamps 12. The rod 10 is provided with a handle 13 by means of which it may be readily manipulated.

When the rod 10 is in the position shown in solid lines and is locked by the bolt 28, the bell-crank 5 is held rigidly in the solid line position. Then as the signal 2 swings on its bearing 2 it raises and lowers the trip arm at through the medium of rods 7 and 7". During these movements of the signal and the trip arm, the link 9 swings around pin 21 as a center so that the rods 7 and 7 are prevented from substantial buckling and the operation of the trip arm by the signal is therefore positive in both directions; that is, the trip arm is in efiect rigidly connected with the signal. Of course, the pin 8 swings in an arc during these movements, so that the rods 7 and 7 buckle to a slight extent, but this buckling is not sufficient to appreciably shorten the connection between the signal and the trip arm. hen, however, it is desirable that a vehicle equipped with an arm 16 should pass the signal while the latter is in the stop position, as for example when the mechanism which operates or con trols the signal is out of order, the trip arm 4: may be raised to the inoperative position by withdrawing bolt 28 from notch 27 and pulling rod 10 downwardly. This movement of rod 10 swings crank 5 to the dash line position, thus causing link 9 to buckle the rods 7 and 7" as indicated by the positions of these rods shown in dash lines, and the trip arm -l is thereby raised to the inoperative position shown in dash lines. The vehicle may then pass the signal without causing an operation of the arm 16 by arm l. After the vehicle has passed the signal, the rod 10 is again raised and locked by bolt 28, so that the parts again occupy the positions in which they are shown in solid lines.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embody-- ing my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a railway signal, a trip arm, a connection between said signal and said trip arm whereby the latter is moved by the former, and means for shortening said connection whereby the trip arm may be moved independently of the signal.

'2. In combination, a railway signal having a stop and a proceed position, atrip arm capable of an operative and an inoperative position, a connection between the signal and the trip arm whereby the latter is moved to its operative 'or its inoperative po sition according as thesignal is in stop or proceed position, and means for shortening said connection whereby the trip arm may be moved to its inoperative position independently of the signal when the latter is in the stop position.

8. In combination, a railway signal, a trip arm, a connection between the two for causing positive movements of the trip arm by the signal in both directions, and means for shortening said connection whereby the trip arm may be moved independently of the signal. i

i. In combination, a railway signal, a trip arm, a connection between the two comprising two pivotally connected rods, said rods being also pivotally attached to the signal and to the trip arm respectively, and means for buckling said rods whereby the trip arm may be moved independently of the signal. I

5. In combination, a railway signal,a trip arm, a connection between the two comprising two pivotally connected rods, said rods being also pivotally attached to the signal and to the trip arm respectively, a crank, a link pivoted at one point to said crank and at another point to said rods at their point of connection, means for rocking said crank thereby causing the link to buckle said rods whereby the trip arm is moved independently of the signal, and means for locking said crank whereby the link serves to pre-' vent buckling of said rods while the trip arm is being moved in either direction by the signal.

6. In combination, a railway signal, a trip arm, a connection between the two comprising two pivotally connected rods, said rods being also pivotally attached to the signal and to the trip arm respectively, means for buckling said rods whereby the trip arm may be moved independently of the signal, and means for locking said buckling means to prevent buckling of said rods when the trip arm is moved by the signal whereby the operation of the trip arm is then positive in both directions.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ream; H. NICHOLSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 01' Patents, Washington, D. C. 

